TOPIC: Christians Told to Convert to Islam or Die!
Christian residents of Charsadda in the Northwest Province of Pakistan received a threatening letter with an ultimatum of 10 days to convert to Islam or face dire consequences and bomb explosions. The deadline of the ultimatum expires on May 17, 2007. According to All Pakistan Minorities Alliance (APMA), copies of the letter are being distributed among the Christians in Charsadda, a town in NWFP where Islamic militants have a heavy presence and are attacking video, audio and barber shops.
APMA says the militants are harassing women to veil themselves and not to attend schools and threatening barber shops to stop shaving beards and mustaches. Charsadda is a town where Federal interior minister of Pakistan, Aftab Ahmed Sherpao, narrowly escaped a suicidal attack last month that killed 28 people and injured several. More than 50 Christian families are residing in a Muslim Majority area of Charsadda. Police officials were informed about the letters and security is being stepped up. An e-mail from APMA obtained by ANS [ASSIST News Service] says:

"Over the past years, the influence of religious extremist groups has increased in NWFP and other parts of Pakistan. These pro-Taliban extremists are committing violence in the name of religion to impose their own radical and Taliban style concept of Islam by force, which is worrisome particularly when these elements are taking law in to their own hands, blowing themselves as suicidal bombers and policing the society."

APMA says the ultimatum has further aggravated the sense of insecurity and fear among the Christians of Charsadda as they are spending their days and nights in fear and many are thinking to vacate the area due to threats and possible attacks. "Christians of Pakistan are already facing victimization and discrimination; many innocent Christians are incarcerated and killed and many become targets due to the misuse of blasphemy law by the extremist elements," the organization says. APMA also says:

"Attacks on Churches, Christian schools and other institutions have been experienced by the Christians of Pakistan in the past few years and now the uprise of vigilante groups and the threats have further aggravated the situation. In these circumstances, the government is unable to control the violent activities of militant organizations in Pakistan or provide protection to its citizens. It is noteworthy that Northwest province is ruled by Muthaida Mjlis -e- Amal, MMA (Coalition of pro-Taliban Islamic parties)."

An APMA team visited Charsadda to express their solidarity with the Christians of the area and higher authorities are being informed and asked to increase the security measures and provide protection to the lives and properties of innocent Christians. Christian residents of Charsadda told the APMA team that although they fear for their lives and are mindful that the militants can kill them, they trust God for their protection and cannot succumb to the demands of the Islamic militants.
APMA asks that concerned Christians kindly pray for the protection and safety of Christians of Charsadda, who continue to remain in siege, but undefeated spiritually and continue to uphold their faith in these difficult times. Please also pray for government of Pakistan that God may provide them wisdom and courage to make sincere efforts to control the situation and violence.

From Islamabad, AsiaNews.it reports the same threatening letter was sent to Christian communities in Charsadda and Mardan, ordering the closure of churches and conversion to Islam within 10 days on pain of execution. The police are treating it as a joke. The bishop of Islamabad has expressed deep fear and called for the support of the government the world. The AsiaNews report says: "Convert to Islam within 10 days and shut down all the country's churches: the ultimatum was delivered in a threatening letter that Muslim fundamentalists sent to Christian communities in Charsadda and Mardan, in northern Pakistan. If their orders are not obeyed, 'all Christians will be executed.'" AsiaNews says the letter was sent on May 7 to local churches, who immediately took it to the police. Feroz Shah, district inspector of Charsadda, said he had investigated the matter. "For him," says AsiaNews "'it's a 'joke', and so 'there is no need to make any arrests'. Christians, he added, 'are safe and well-protected in the area.'"
Mgr Anthony Lobo, bishop of Islamabad-Rawalpindi, does not share the inspector's view. He told AsiaNews: "This letter is not a joke, but a threat that needs to be taken seriously. It has left the Christian community of Pakistan very frightened. We have already appealed to higher powers in the country to ask for help and we will continue to do so." According to AsiaNews, the bishop said it was important "to understand that even jokes, if aimed at minorities, could become reality. Even if this letter is the work of an isolated madman, it's possible that he may commit some atrocity against Christians."
The bishop added: "Now we must pray, but we cannot stop at that. We have already protested against this situation of fear and uncertainty and we will continue to do so. In the meantime, I appeal to the world to help us in this dangerous struggle against fundamentalism."

The Sope-Bocks: I wonder if the hate crimes pundits in the US will speak out against the letter and the group that sent it. Let me guess -- NO, they will not say a single word in support of Christians in Pakistan.

Article from christiansunite.com

TOPIC: CWA: 'Hate Crimes' -- Unequal Protection Under the Law
Article from christiansunite.com / Concerned Women of America
"Hate crimes" bill H.R. 1592, which is on the fast track to passage in Congress, will officially give homosexuals and cross dressers special elevated status in society based upon their chosen sexual behaviors and/or wardrobe. Under H.R. 1592, the victims at Virginia Tech would officially be considered less valuable to society than homosexuals and cross dressers who are the targets of insults, intimidation, simple assault or other "violent acts."
The 14th Amendment of the U.S. Constitution guarantees "equal protection under the law" for all citizens -- regardless of their sexual preference. "Hate crimes" legislation flies in the face of the 14th Amendment. Such legislation would require the government to invest more resources in the investigation and prosecution of crimes against homosexuals than it would the victims at Virginia Tech.

It is an irrefutable fact that H.R. 1592 would treat certain citizens unequally from others. Concerned Women for America (CWA) asks Congress to grant equal government resources, concern and respect to the victims at Virginia Tech and their families as they do to the demands of liberal homosexual activists by reaffirming the precepts of the 14th Amendment and voting NO on this dangerous and discriminatory piece of legislation.

"If Seung-Hui Cho's horrific actions were not an act of 'hate,' then what where they?" asked Matt Barber, Policy Director for Cultural Issues with CWA. "All violent crimes are 'hate crimes.' By H.R. 1592's definition, Cho's actions would have constituted a 'hate crime' except for the fact that he targeted his victims with the wrong kind of bias. In this case, Cho 'perceived' his victims to be 'rich kids.' However, under H.R. 1592, 'rich kids' are not a specially protected class like homosexuals, so Cho's crime is second tier and would be considered less egregious.
"The FBI's latest statistics show that there were zero 'hate crimes' murders committed against homosexuals or those perceived to be homosexual in 2005; yet we already know of thirty-two so-called 'hate crimes' murders committed against perceived 'rich kids' in a single day. But under H.R. 1592, those 'rich kids' would be denied the same protections and justice as homosexuals. The whole 'hate crimes' concept really places logic and reason on its head," concluded Barber.

Concerned Women for America is the nation's largest public policy women's organization.

TOPIC: Liberals Will Introduce Anti-Christian Hate Crimes Bill In Congress This Week

by Staff of christiansunite.com
Cartoon by FaithMouse

As Representative John Conyers (D-Michigan) prepares to introduce the anti-Christian hate crimes bill (Local Law Enforcement Hate Crimes Prevention Act) in Congress this week, only one person can stop it - President George W. Bush and his veto pen. "Sadly, this new Congress will probably vote in both the House and the Senate to pass this anti-Christian hate crimes bill," said Traditional Values Coalition (TVC) Executive Director Andrea Lafferty. "If there was ever a bill which needed to be vetoed - this is it."
Most Christians might as well rip the pages which condemn homosexuality right out of their Bibles because this bill will make it illegal to publicly express the dictates of their religious beliefs. "It will elevate homosexuality, which is defined by how its adherents engage in sex, to the same level of those who have fought hard and sacrificed to end discrimination based on race and other factors."
According to Conyers' 'Local Law Enforcement Hate Crimes Prevention Act,' homosexuals, cross-dressers and other minority groups are so fearful that they are fleeing across state lines to avoid persecution by violent hate mongers. Conyers' bill claims that these homosexuals and cross-dressers also can't buy goods or services in their home states because of this persecution. "The fact is that Conyers' so-called hate crimes bill is a fraud and designed for only one purpose: to add homosexuals, cross-dressers, drag queens and transsexuals as federally-protected minority groups. There is no 'epidemic' of hate crimes - and no mass migration of homosexuals and cross-dressers across state lines."
The FBI's 2005 hate crimes statistics reveal that one-third of the cases of so-called "sexual orientation" bias, were nothing more than name-calling. There were a total of 1,171 such cases. Of those, 301 were listed as "intimidation," defined in law as name-calling or threats. The ultimate objective of this legislation is to claim that 'hate speech' - criticism of homosexuality - incites individuals to violence and must be suppressed and punished. This will violate the First Amendment rights of any person or group that opposes the normalization of homosexuality in our culture. We oppose passage of this dangerous anti-Christian bill and urge President Bush to veto it.